Registration Now Open With Expanded Eligibility for OU’s Israel Free Spirit/Taglit-Birthright Israel

Registration is now open for the Orthodox Union’s Israel Free Spirit (IFS) program, a free trip for young Jewish men and women exploring Israel’s sites, culture and history. Israel Free Spirit now includes expanded eligibility for those who were previously not eligible to go on Birthright Israel.

The new eligibility requirements for free trips to Israel will now permit 18-26-year-olds who went on an educational trip to Israel while in high school before turning 18 to go on the free 10-day trip. Previously, according to Birthright Israel guidelines, those who had been to Israel “as part of a touring group, educational program, study program or an organized extended residential program since you were 12 years old” were not eligible.

Israel Free Spirit has been among the fastest growing Birthright Israel programs and is currently the fourth largest trip organizer in North America. Many of these are “niche” trips, to accommodate special interests, such as arts and entertainment with Broadway performers; sports with a Super Bowl champion player; “Congress to Knesset” with a six-time U.S. Congressman; and “Bizrael,” which visits executives of top Israel companies such as Google and other high tech companies in Israel.